Another frustrating thing about Episode 2 is that it keeps you in the dark as to what The Tyranny of King Washington is. Obviously all of these events take place off of the main Assassin's Creed timeline, but how, exactly, do they exist? Is the Animus misfiring? Is it a dream Connor had? A dream Desmond is having? Hopefully these questions will be answered in Episode 3, but so far we have precisely zero hints. By ignoring these issues, the developers have passed up a chance to entice us and make us think.

And it's not like Tyranny has intrigue to spare. The very promising core idea here—George Washington as king and maniac—hasn't really spawned any amazing storytelling or clever historical twists. Oddly enough, we've seen very little of King Washington himself, though presumably he'll be the boss of Episode 3.

I was on the fence with Episode 1. With Episode 2 I've made up my mind: The Tyranny of King Washington is not worth your $30. At most, I'd recommend waiting for a steep discount. The story isn't that impressive, the gameplay tweaks are all cribbed from other franchises, the episodes are short and spaced a month apart, and apparently we won't get any big new areas.

It could have been nice to spend more time in Connor's world, especially given that Assassin's Creed III won't spawn a bunch of spinoff games the way that its numerical predecessor did. But The Tyranny of King Washington does not do the trick, so fans will need to wait for Assassin's Creed IV, due later this year, for their next real fix.

ByRobert VerBruggen
Contributing Writer
Date: March 21, 2013

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

4.0

GraphicsSame old ACIII graphics.

2.7

ControlThe new Eagle power is a bit clunky to control.

4.0

Music / Sound FX / Voice ActingThey’re in keeping with the rest of the series.

2.6

Play ValueShort and unimpressive.

3.0

Overall Rating - FairNot an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend

0.1 - 1.9 = Avoid

2.5 - 2.9 = Average

3.5 - 3.9 = Good

4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy

2.0 - 2.4 = Poor

3.0 - 3.4 = Fair

4.0 - 4.4 = Great

5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

Washington goes mad with power and rules as a tyrannical king.

Connor awakes having never become an Assassin and accepts a new mission to fight for freedom.

In this new episode, travel to Boston to find an unlikely but familiar ally in your war against the king.